The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-02-12
ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT of ROADS

At late meeting of the Hartford Historical So
ciety, held at Beair, Mr.. Daniel r. Randall, of
the Johns Hopkins University, read highly en-
tertaining historical sketch of tae origin and de-
velopment of roads and of methods of travel in
Maryland. The earliest roadmaker of whom any
record exists was one of the Pharaohs of Egypt,
who made gigantic causeway for use in build
ing the pyramids. The Carthagenians were the
first systematic roadbuilders, and it was from
them the Romans obtained their ideas for the con-
struction of their great highways. These con-
sisted of four layers of stone and are remarkable
for running in straight lines over hill and across
dale, like modern turnpikes. The first roads
in Maryland were mere pathways cut through the
forest. These ways were then widened for the
passage of beasts of burden, and made still wider
when wheeled vehicles came into use.
The Chesapeake bay was for many years the
great natural highway in Maryland, the first set
tiers travelling from place to place in boats. Ten
miles from the coast was unbroken forest, the
haunt of runaway negroes and the hostile savage.
In 1858 an act was passed requiring each coun-
ty to maintain ferries over rivers, and in 1866
county commissioners were empowered to open
roads through forests. Judges, jurors, lawyers
and sherffs constituted chiefly the travelling pub
lie. Inns sprang up at ferries and along road
sides under the stimulus of exemption from taxes,
and tavern keepers got rich. Inns became so
numerous and were so badly kept that their
charges for food and drink were specified by law,
and certain of them being licensed, the rest were
weeded out Roads sprang up in every county,
but they were winding and full of stones and
stumps.
In 1904 an act ordered roads to be made twenty
feet wide, cross roads being marked on trees by
notches or Sits, the number or character of which
indicated their general direction, whether to the
court house or ferry, north or south.
In 174S there were 14S miles of post road in
Maryland, and only rs in Pennsylvania. 1t re-
quired month of the most rapid travelling pos
sibe in 174S to 60 from Boston to Baltimore. As
vehicles came into use the roads improved. Sedan
chairs, borne by four lusty negroes, we're also
modes of travelling in early colonial times. The
first stage began to run between Baltimore and
Philadelphia in 1856, and in 1775 mail route
was established from Portland, Me-, to Savannah,
Ga. Stage robberies were frequent, one having
occurred within five miles of Belair in 1852, the
robbers being refugees from the British army
The dangerous condition of the roads may be in
ferred from the fact that prayers were offered and
wills made preparatory to setting out on o jour
ney of 100 miles.
In Hartford county roads were built from ferries
on the Susquehanna to Deer Creek, Beair and
other places. The old National turnpike, from
Baltimore to the Ohio river, was great thorough
fare. Stage coaches were gorgeous in bright
paint, and drawn at regular speed by six horses.
By the advent of railroads the stage coach and
turnpike shorn of their glories, and the loss
of life in travelling now is much less than in the
era of stage coaches